The Rundown is prepared by the City of Newton Communications Office to summarize the City Commission meeting and does not represent official Commission minutes.

July 25, 2023 Newton City Commission meeting

City approves next steps for 71-home addition

At Tuesday night’s meeting, the City Commission set a public hearing for Sept. 12 to establish a Reinvestment Housing Incentive District (RHID) west of South Anderson and north of Southwest 24th Street in Sand Creek Station Addition. The project includes 71 single-family homes expected to be offered for sale between about $220,000 and $350,000. Developer Andrew Reese said the spec home plans will range from three bedroom/two bath to five bedroom/three bath. An RHID provides the developer a rebate on the newly generated property tax revenue for up to 25 years to help pay for construction costs of public improvements such as utilities, streets, etc. An RHID is used in lieu of spreading special assessments to the properties, which helps keep costs down for homebuyers. Eligible reimbursable costs for this project total about $9.5 million. There is no cost to the City for an RHID; the City will continue to receive the existing property tax rate for the property, which is currently agricultural. Reese said he hopes to work through the first phase of construction soon and be able to begin the second phase in the next few years.

In other action, the City Commission:

1. Rejected all bids for the K-15 mill and overlay project because the one bid received was over the engineer’s estimate. The project was for K-15 (Main Street) from the BNSF Railway crossing to the north city limits. A portion of the project was to be funded by the Kansas Department of Transportation. City staff will review the project for possible modifications and coordinate with KDOT to rebid it for spring 2024.
2. Set public hearings for the 2024 budget and the Revenue Neutral Rate for 7 p.m. Aug. 22.
3. Approved a Special Use Permit for an accessory dwelling unit at 908 Trinity Drive.
4. Approved a temporary alcohol permit for the Saddle Club Rodeo on Aug. 4-5.
5. Appointed Andi Andres, Nicole Blackburn, Elizabeth Hingst, Jordan Kelly, Bethany Martin, and Carly Stavola to the Convention & Visitors Bureau Advisory Board.
6. Accepted the 2022 audit report.
7. Approved issuing a Request for Proposals for an airport engineering consultant as required by the Federal Aviation Administration.

For more information, please contact Communications Director Erin McDaniel at 316-284-6055 or emcdaniel@newtonkansas.com.